Metropolitan Police: Building a Coaching & Leadership Culture
The Challenge
The Metropolitan Police at Central North (Camden & Islington) wanted to strengthen leadership, resilience, and reflective practice across its local area as well as reaching out to the wider organisation. With many officers and staff returning to study after long gaps in education, the challenge was to design a programme that was:
• Accessible and inclusive, tailored to diverse learning styles.
• Relevant to policing, rooted in real-world challenges.
• Transformational, enabling a shift from directive leadership to empowering, coaching-led approaches.
There was also a need to build confidence and create a supportive peer community where learners could thrive both personally and professionally.
What we did
In partnership with Aicura, Central North police area launched its first Level 5 Coaching Professional Apprenticeship in September 2024 with a cohort of 30 learners.
The programme, designed and delivered by Aicura was carefully shaped to be “Met-friendly” while maintaining academic rigour. Each individual had a skills coach and key features included:
• Practical, policing-specific examples and frameworks.
• Stretching workshops and structured coaching reviews.
• A strong emphasis on reflection, values, and self-awareness.
• Peer-to-peer learning that built trust and belonging.
Learners were encouraged not only to build coaching skills but to apply them in their leadership, teams, and even home lives.
The results
After one year, the impact has been described by learners as “life-changing, challenging, and transformational.”
Key outcomes included:
• Personal Growth: Renewed confidence, resilience, and self-belief.
• Cultural Shift: Leaders moved from “fixing problems” to empowering others through coaching.
• Real-World Impact: Improved morale, performance, and retention at work, alongside stronger family and community relationships.
• Lasting Legacy: A network of reflective, compassionate leaders now championing a coaching culture across the Met.
“It’s made me a better leader because I now coach my PCs and sergeants instead of fixing everything.”
“Peer-to-peer learning has been the best part of this journey.”
“This course has not just changed how I work – it’s changed how I think.”
The success of Cohort 1 has led to rapid expansion, with three further cohorts already underway, two at Level 5 and a new Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship.
Conclusion: The Met Police’s investment in coaching apprenticeships has created far more than skilled practitioners. It has fostered a culture of trust, empowerment, and reflection that is already transforming leadership across the organisation. This first cohort stands as proof of the power of apprenticeships to deliver measurable organisational impact across a number of ranks and roles profiles while unlocking the personal potential of every learner.